How to Start and Operate Your Own Bed-And-Breakfast: Down-To-Earth Advice from an Award-Winning B&b Owner

by Martha W. Murphy

Book Overview

Down to earth advice from an award-winning B&B owner. Illustrated with charming line drawings and lightened by real-life anecdotes, this is an easily accessible guide to an ever growing small-business niche.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805029036
• ISBN13: 9780805029031
• Release Date: May 1994
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A book to start with...

If you've just been bitten with the idea of starting a B & B as I have, this is a good book to start with. Lot's of info, with just enough detail to keep it from being a text book. I'm looking ahead to about 10 years before I go this route in my retirement, and this is a book I will always keep handy. It answered questions I didn't even know I had at this stage and kept my feet on the ground without bursting my bubble as some other books did.

How to Start and Operate Your Own Bed-and-Breakfast

This book was very informative and a fast read. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the B & B business.

Well-Written, Easy Read

This book is a good introduction to the Bed & Breakfast business; I'm glad I read it first. It contains useful information and the tone is pleasant and light. But it is just a little dated (almost 10 years old), and you need to read several more books to get all the information you need (such as The Complete Idiot's Guide. . .)

The nitty gritty of running the shop.

This book goes room by room into decorating, supplies needed, rules, safety, and the likes which really helps when you are running a B & B. IT failed to really go into depth about the business aspects which I thought was a shame. This book is great if you are already running a B & B or want to decorate your house like one, but I would suggest buying several other B & B books to help give the complete picture. It also include recipies which was an added bonus. A good book for the right need.

My B & B Bible

A little over a year ago my husband and I decided to sell our house of 22 years where we had 1 occassional guest room and buy a larger home in our city to plan for our retirement career. I purchased Martha's book and have used it as my B & B Bible ever since. I also have a couple of other B & B start-up books but Martha's book provided the easiest reading and most down to earth advice. Plus it was written from experience not just from a consultants viewpoint. Martha has lived the experience of starting a bed and breakfast. I am happy to say that our new "Guest House" has opened as of October 15, 1999 and we are glad we made the decision to embark on this new adventure.By the way I also have her B & B cookbook and use it on almost a daily basis.